A computer implemented method includes determining whether a time of day corresponds to a charging window, responsive to a determination that a vehicle is in a non-charging state. The method also includes retrieving a start time and charge requirement for an upcoming journey. The method further includes determining if sufficient time remains to charge a vehicle to the charge requirement, responsive to a determination that the time of day corresponds to the charging window. Also, the method includes alerting a user to the non-charging state, responsive to a determination that insufficient time remains to charge the vehicle to the charge requirement.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A computer implemented process comprising: determining whether a time of day corresponds to a charging window, responsive to a determination that a vehicle is in a non-charging state; retrieving a start time and charge requirement for an upcoming journey; determining if sufficient time remains to charge a vehicle to the charge requirement, responsive to a determination that the time of day corresponds to the charging window; alerting a user to the non-charging state, responsive to a determination that insufficient time remains to charge the vehicle to the charge requirement; and alerting a user that a charge requirement cannot be met, responsive to a determination that a point in time past which a charge requirement cannot be met was prior to or is within a threshold range of a current time.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alerting the user further includes waiting until a predetermined period of non-charging time has passed, following the determination that the vehicle is in the non-charging state, prior to alerting the user of the non-charging condition.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein, if the predetermined period of non-charging time does not pass in an uninterrupted block of the vehicle remaining in the non-charging state, an instance of the alerting is cancelled.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alerting is further responsive to a determination that a vehicle is not currently charged to or above the charge requirement.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: approximating a start time based on observed previous behavior, if an attempt to retrieve a start time is unsuccessful.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: approximating a charge requirement based on observed previous behavior, if an attempt to retrieve a charge requirement is unsuccessful.
7. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium, storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method comprising: determining whether a time of day corresponds to a charging window, responsive to a determination that a vehicle is in a non-charging state; retrieving a start time and charge requirement for an upcoming journey; determining if sufficient time remains to charge a vehicle to the charge requirement, responsive to a determination that the time of day corresponds to the charging window; alerting a user to the non-charging state, responsive to a determination that insufficient time remains to charge the vehicle to the charge requirement; and alerting a user that a charge requirement cannot be met, responsive to a determination that a point in time past which a charge requirement cannot be met was prior to or is within a threshold range of a current time.
8. The machine readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the alerting the user further includes waiting until a predetermined period of non-charging time has passed, following the determination that the vehicle is in the non-charging state, prior to alerting the user of the non-charging condition.
9. The machine readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein, if the predetermined period of non-charging time does not pass in an uninterrupted block of the vehicle remaining in the non-charging state, an instance of the alerting is cancelled.
10. The machine readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the alerting is further responsive to a determination that a vehicle is not currently charged to or above the charge requirement.
11. The machine readable storage medium of claim 7 , further comprising: approximating a start time based on observed previous behavior, if an attempt to retrieve a start time is unsuccessful.
12. The machine readable storage medium of claim 7 , further comprising: approximating a charge requirement based on observed previous behavior, if an attempt to retrieve a charge requirement is unsuccessful.
13. A system comprising: a processor, in communication with a vehicle network; a local storage, in communication with the vehicle network; a vehicle power source, in communication with the vehicle network; and a transceiver, in communication with at least the processor, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether a time of day corresponds to a charging window, responsive to a determination that a vehicle is in a non-charging state, based at least in part on information retrieved from the vehicle network, retrieve a start time and charge requirement for an upcoming journey from the local storage, determine if sufficient time remains to charge a vehicle to the charge requirement, responsive to a determination that the time of day corresponds to the charging window, based at least in part on a difference between a current time and the start time, and at least in part on an observed rate of charging, alert a user to the non-charging state, responsive to a determination that insufficient time remains to charge the vehicle to the charge requirement, utilizing at least the transceiver to send a message for transmission to the user; and alert a user that a charge requirement cannot be met, responsive to a determination that a point in time past which a charge requirement cannot be met was prior to or is within a threshold range of a current time.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor alerting the user further includes waiting until a predetermined period of non-charging time has passed, following the determination that the vehicle is in the non-charging state, prior to alerting the user of the non-charging condition.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein, if the predetermined period of non-charging time does not pass in an uninterrupted block of the vehicle remaining in the non-charging state, an instance of the processor alerting the user is cancelled.
16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor alerting the user is further responsive to a determination that a vehicle is not currently charged to or above the charge requirement.
17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to approximate a start time based on observed previous behavior, if an attempt to retrieve a start time is unsuccessful.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
January 24, 2012
September 30, 2014
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